2022 Best Value Colleges for Urban Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Urban Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 1,475 people earned their degree in urban studies, making the major the 210th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, urban studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $37,971 and had an average of $24,376 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 29 urban studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Urban Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in urban studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent urban studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the urban studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Urban Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Urban Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for Urban Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

#1

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, Texas

#1 in overall quality

$12,203 Average Net Price

$49,643 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s urban studies degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also took the #1 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $12,203 for southwest region urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Urban Studies at The University of Texas at Austin

#2

Arizona State University - Tempe

Tempe, Arizona

#3 in overall quality

$7,044 Average Net Price

$46,397 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Tempe. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 3 ’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe also made our “Best Urban Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $7,044 for Southwest Region Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Arizona State University - Tempe.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Urban Studies at ASU - Tempe

#3

Trinity University

San Antonio, Texas

#2 in overall quality

$12,373 Average Net Price

$57,267 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Urban Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Trinity University landed the #3 spot on the list. Trinity U is a small school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 3 ’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Trinity U also took the #2 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Trinity University is $12,373 for southwest region urban studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Trinity U Urban Studies Report

#4

University of Central Oklahoma

Edmond, Oklahoma

#4 in overall quality

$12,297 Average Net Price

$37,034 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Central Oklahoma. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Central Oklahoma is a fairly large public school situated in Edmond, Oklahoma. It awarded 3 ’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCO, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Central Oklahoma is $12,297 for Southwest Region Urban Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Urban Studies at University of Central Oklahoma

• Best Value Colleges for Urban Studies (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Andrew Bossi.

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